First storm of new season heads north

The first tropical depression of the new season became Tropical Storm Arlene this morning.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami upgraded the system after new readings showed wind speeds had reached 40 knots. Systems with winds in excess of 39 mph are classifed as tropical storms.

Tropical storm warnings for Cuba were extended eastward to include the city of Havana and the Isle of Youth.

Forecasters are warning residents along the northwestern Caribbean and the southeastern Gulf of Mexico to monitor the progress of the system

As of 8 a.m., the center of Arlene was located near latitude 19.1N, longitude 84W, about 185 miles west of Grand Cayman.

The storm is predicted to continue moving toward the north at 8 mph with an increase in forward speed over the next 24 hours.

Arlene is spreading squalls and heavy rains across the Cayman Islands, central and western Cuba. Amounts of 5-10 inches are possible.

The late weekend forecast for North Carolina is heavily dependent on the location of Arlene, according to the National Weather Service in Raleigh. The current track would begin spreading a chance of precipitation into the west Saturday night and the east on Sunday afternoon.